Labour dumps thousands of migrants in UK town with locals 'left paying the price'

ANGER is growing in Uxbridge, where residents and councillors say they are being "significantly underfunded" by the Home Office after the borough was forced to take on one of the largest migrant housing burden in Britain

With one in every 10 hotel-housed immigrants in the UK currently being housed in Hillingdon which includes Uxbridge, the local council is legally required to house those 'presenting as homeless' that come through the international airport, Heathrow, which is inside its boundaries.

The situation has pushed local services to breaking point, and left taxpayers footing the bill which has risen to more than £10million a year, say locals.

Tory-run Hillingdon says the Labour ministers are "dumping" immigrants on the area without consultation, or adequate funding, which has forced residents of the town to "pay the costs" of Whitehall's failure to bring immigration under control.

The borough also faces an additional £1.2million bill for housing Chagos Island migrants, with the Home Office reportedly covering just ten days' worth of costs before handing responsibility to the council.

Mrs Kelly, 63, who has lived in Uxbridge for three decades and works on minimum wage for four days a week, told the Express she had seen a decline in local services. She'd been on hold to the local housing team for forty minutes by the time the Express had finished speaking to her.

"There's no money for local services," she said. "I'd stop it all. Other services are suffering. There are too many people in this country. The last four years it's gotten much worse, too many people and not enough money. People who live and work here are not getting what they deserve."

She added: "I don't think [migrants] should be allowed to come here and get everything when we get nothing. Personally, I don't even know if I'll be able to afford to retire. I was brought up that you pay for what you get."

Another woman, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said she felt "really concerned" for the safety of women and children. "There has been an increase in homelessness, people sleeping on the streets," she said. "The Home Office must take on the cost for housing these illegal migrants. I've nothing against legals, but this lot are playing the system. Soon, the bottom is going to fall out. There's a very strong feeling around here that it's wrong."

Locals say the issue has split the community. John Smith, 75, said: "It's terrible. I've no objection to them being here if they have the right to come here. But the cost should be shared across the country, not just paid by one borough."

Colin Easthope, 73, added: "Pensioners are getting a raw deal. Instead, we're giving away money overseas and not looking after our own. Labour is a 'no-no' from me. I've always felt you get a better deal with the Tories, since Labour took over, the cost of everything has gone up."

While many are angry, others urged balance. Lidia Guernieri said: "It's nice that we are helping others. If help is needed, then help we should, but we should balance it against other needs."

Michelle Clack, 73, said her son still couldn't get a council home. "Nothing against them [migrants], but they need to show respect," she said.

The tension is visible on the streets. One man described a row in the town centre after being "pushed" by a group of youngsters who called him an "English b*****d". He said that they "came out to apologise after I told them I'd call the police," he said, pointing to what he says was a rare foot patrol nearby.

Other residents said services are simply buckling. One man told the Express: "It's a struggle to hear English on the high street. It takes a week to get an appointment. It's changed in the three years I've lived here."

Parents, too, said they feel left behind. Rachael Craig, 41, a council-housed mother of six, said: "Everyone has to be housed, but a lot of people already living here are struggling to get properties. I don't think we're looked after."

Her friend, Vanessa Hampson, 33, who has three children, added: "I've been waiting six years for a house and I'm still waiting. It's just a joke."

The council says Labour's failure to fund local authorities properly has made an already dire situation worse.

Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Hillingdon's Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, said: "Inadequate funding for our asylum and immigration responsibilities by the government is placing an unfair financial burden on residents, who are having to subsidise these additional costs as a result of increasing evictions from Home Office accommodation with the expectation that the council will provide support.

"Soaring demand for services and significant underfunding by government for several years is creating unsustainable financial pressures for the council, and these have been further intensified by increasing demands to support former asylum seekers, as well as Chagossians arriving via Heathrow Airport.

"While we're proud of upholding our lawful requirements in providing safe sanctuary, the government needs to understand the scale and unique challenges facing Hillingdon. We're paying £5million annually to support former asylum seekers, and there is an added annual cost of £2million to support Chagossians."

Local MP David Simmonds, who represents Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, said Labour's policies had worsened the crisis. "Asylum costs have become a huge issue locally since the Labour government started giving refugees rights to housing locally more quickly, dumping them at Hillingdon's door in a way that didn't happen before," he said. "It's not fair for local people to pay the costs of government failure."

Uxbridge resident Dion Barnard, 52, summed up the frustration: "I am not sure that local councils should be shouldering the cost, I think somebody should be. We live in one world and everybody deserves a change. The accident of your birth shouldn't matter, so I think we should be coming up with a plan at a national level."

The Government was approached for comment.